1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play begins in a parked car on a 1969 summer night in rural Maryland, when the main character Lil Bit is 17 years old with an older married man named Peck, asking to be rewarded for not drinking.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion comes early on when we realize that Peck is Lil Bit's uncle, introducing us to the ongoing message of incest and pedophilia which we later find out has been an ongoing conflict.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of the play is the fact that it is out of order, giving the different events no particular amount of importance over the other. The use of drivers education transitions hold true to the title of the play, reminding us of how the intimate moments come mostly from being taught to drive, which is unique to this play only.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Lil Bit continue to be brainwashed by her Uncle for her whole life or will she mature out of it? How will her relationship with Peck affect her later life and her process of maturing? In the end, we learn that Lil Bit makes the final decision to cut all intimate relations with Peck, realizing how wrong it is and how she needs to move on from it. This effects Peck drastically as he later drinks himself to death. The relationship affected Lil Bit as she also became an alcoholic, losing her schooling and living on couches of friends. She grows to have a love for driving, still crediting it to her pedophile uncle.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first exposition is the more obvious exposition, in the beginning when the characters, the plot and the setting are introduced. Later, it is introduced that Peck and Lil Bit's relationship isn't exactly secret, when Lil Bit asks her mother if she can ride to the beach with her uncle. Her mother responds by voicing her opinion on how she feels about the relationship that she can see, feeling uncomfortable with the way he looks at her. This also introduces Lil Bit's view on it is, showing that she is ok with it, feeling like it is ok since she never had a father figure and she somehow has been brainwashed to believe that this it what it is supposed to be like, when it is not.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when Lil Bit is 13 years old and is posing seductively for her uncle. This part of the play makes the audience very uncomfortable, emphasizing the wrongness of the relationship, and the discomfort of Lil Bit that is later convinced to change. A close second to this would be when Lil Bit is riding in Peck's lap in the car and he starts to fondle her, she says no and he continues. These parts create emotion in the audience, wishing it would just stop.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
The themes of the play include pedophilia, misogyny, and incest. These themes all work together to show the impact they can have on the life of someone, and how real these issues are. It shows how disturbing it is for an older man to pray on a young child, how disturbing it is for a family member to pray on another related to them, and how a powerful man can use his status to take advantage of others and get away with it.
8. Choose the character of Li'l Bit in the show and articulate what she wants and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Lil Bit wants to grow up, be happy, and live a normal life, like any other girl her age. It shows throughout the years her confusion with growing up, and the biggest obstacle standing in her way is Peck. He is keeping her from knowing her true potential and experiencing the life of a normal teenager, maturing and exploring herself and others. Peck stands in her way as he makes her feel like what she is experiencing is normal, and she is almost afraid to live normally because she is being surveillanced and brainwashed by her own pedophile uncle.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The images of Lil Bit in the car with Peck are repetitive images, as many big scenes happen in the car. She learns to drive, she gets fondled, and she gets drunk. All of these images are in close quarters, making the scene very intimate and hard to escape. The car not only was a part of growing up for her, reaching the milestone of learning to drive, but it was also a part of her life as a whole, defining her relationship with Peck which shaped her as a person in the future.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are loosely defined in this play as it is rather complicated. Family has shaped Lil Bit's whole life, as explained before how Peck took advantage of her and basically raised her to think a certain way, believing that this is what a father daughter relationship is like, since she never had a father of her own. She seemed to be very close with her mother, and have a difficult relationship with her grandparents. It seemed that her family was so open about sex and sexuality and their bodies that it also skewed her perception of her own sexuality and her relationship with Peck. This shows how how you are raised shapes who you are.
The play begins in a parked car on a 1969 summer night in rural Maryland, when the main character Lil Bit is 17 years old with an older married man named Peck, asking to be rewarded for not drinking.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion comes early on when we realize that Peck is Lil Bit's uncle, introducing us to the ongoing message of incest and pedophilia which we later find out has been an ongoing conflict.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of the play is the fact that it is out of order, giving the different events no particular amount of importance over the other. The use of drivers education transitions hold true to the title of the play, reminding us of how the intimate moments come mostly from being taught to drive, which is unique to this play only.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Lil Bit continue to be brainwashed by her Uncle for her whole life or will she mature out of it? How will her relationship with Peck affect her later life and her process of maturing? In the end, we learn that Lil Bit makes the final decision to cut all intimate relations with Peck, realizing how wrong it is and how she needs to move on from it. This effects Peck drastically as he later drinks himself to death. The relationship affected Lil Bit as she also became an alcoholic, losing her schooling and living on couches of friends. She grows to have a love for driving, still crediting it to her pedophile uncle.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first exposition is the more obvious exposition, in the beginning when the characters, the plot and the setting are introduced. Later, it is introduced that Peck and Lil Bit's relationship isn't exactly secret, when Lil Bit asks her mother if she can ride to the beach with her uncle. Her mother responds by voicing her opinion on how she feels about the relationship that she can see, feeling uncomfortable with the way he looks at her. This also introduces Lil Bit's view on it is, showing that she is ok with it, feeling like it is ok since she never had a father figure and she somehow has been brainwashed to believe that this it what it is supposed to be like, when it is not.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when Lil Bit is 13 years old and is posing seductively for her uncle. This part of the play makes the audience very uncomfortable, emphasizing the wrongness of the relationship, and the discomfort of Lil Bit that is later convinced to change. A close second to this would be when Lil Bit is riding in Peck's lap in the car and he starts to fondle her, she says no and he continues. These parts create emotion in the audience, wishing it would just stop.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
The themes of the play include pedophilia, misogyny, and incest. These themes all work together to show the impact they can have on the life of someone, and how real these issues are. It shows how disturbing it is for an older man to pray on a young child, how disturbing it is for a family member to pray on another related to them, and how a powerful man can use his status to take advantage of others and get away with it.
8. Choose the character of Li'l Bit in the show and articulate what she wants and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Lil Bit wants to grow up, be happy, and live a normal life, like any other girl her age. It shows throughout the years her confusion with growing up, and the biggest obstacle standing in her way is Peck. He is keeping her from knowing her true potential and experiencing the life of a normal teenager, maturing and exploring herself and others. Peck stands in her way as he makes her feel like what she is experiencing is normal, and she is almost afraid to live normally because she is being surveillanced and brainwashed by her own pedophile uncle.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The images of Lil Bit in the car with Peck are repetitive images, as many big scenes happen in the car. She learns to drive, she gets fondled, and she gets drunk. All of these images are in close quarters, making the scene very intimate and hard to escape. The car not only was a part of growing up for her, reaching the milestone of learning to drive, but it was also a part of her life as a whole, defining her relationship with Peck which shaped her as a person in the future.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are loosely defined in this play as it is rather complicated. Family has shaped Lil Bit's whole life, as explained before how Peck took advantage of her and basically raised her to think a certain way, believing that this is what a father daughter relationship is like, since she never had a father of her own. She seemed to be very close with her mother, and have a difficult relationship with her grandparents. It seemed that her family was so open about sex and sexuality and their bodies that it also skewed her perception of her own sexuality and her relationship with Peck. This shows how how you are raised shapes who you are.